Yesim Tokat-Acikel is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager for the Principal Asset Management asset allocation team. She is responsible for managing and overseeing the Global Target Risk and Quantitative Research strategies. Yesim joined the firm in 2023. Prior to her current role, Yesim served as a Managing Director, Head of Multi-Asset Research, Co-head of ESG, Portfolio Manager at PGIM. Prior to that, Yesim worked as a Vice President, Senior Quantitative Analyst at AllianceBernstein and as a Manager, Senior Investment Analyst for the Vanguard Group. She received a PhD in Economics from University of California, Santa Barbara, a master's degree in industrial engineering from University of Arizona and a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Bilkent University, Turkey.